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Man I feel like crying... trying to buy a used intel iMac on $600 is impossible

A

Archmagination

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 15, 2004
159
0
Thats twice now I have lost a 17" iMac with a 1.83ghz Intel Core Duo, 1gb RAM, DL Superdrive, 160gb HD, Radeon X1600 128mb computer on ebay within 5 minutes of close.

Its looking more and more like I will need to wait for my tax returns in 2 months before I can get a intel iMac... its going to be a long wait and the way things go around here I will most likely find that I need to use the money on something else. I have found out that I have been running into the wall lately with my faithful "Sawtooth" 1ghz G4(not a dual) with 1gb RAM, 80gb HD and a Radeon 9800 Pro card.

Sorry for the complaining, but its extremely frustrating to find myself within a $100 of owning a intel mac!
 
That's the thing. Either you put a bid in to your maximum or you end up spending more than your maximum because someone outbids your maximum.

If you've only got $600, then don't be upset if a machine goes for $625, because you haven't got $625.
 
On minimum wage, it's half a week of work. If you have higher than minimum wage, it's pretty simple to save up that amount. Reason you can't get one for $600 because it's worth more than $600.

Apple Refurb occasionally has it for $750 + tax + free shipping. You might want to check occasionally.

Or try local Craigslist.org. Once in awhile you might get lucky, but you have to know what you are looking for, and make sure everything is working.
 
Its kinda hard to save money when you are single and have bills due. If I am careful I can save maybe $100-$150 a month, but thats stretching it and in the next week or so my job will be slowing down for 2 months before kicking back into high gear. So that means I won't be able to save any money for it. Whats really frustrating for me is that the overtime that was usually available wasn't this year otherwise I would have had my intel imac by now.
 
I don't know what you spend in a week for relaxation and social contacts,
but quit going to the pub or cinema for a month or so definitely worked for me.
 
Archmagination said:
Its kinda hard to save money when you are single and have bills due. If I am careful I can save maybe $100-$150 a month, but thats stretching it and in the next week or so my job will be slowing down for 2 months before kicking back into high gear. So that means I won't be able to save any money for it. Whats really frustrating for me is that the overtime that was usually available wasn't this year otherwise I would have had my intel imac by now.
Click to expand...

Also checkout www.powermax.com for iMacs, good pricing and service.
 
craigs list is better for buyers. on craigslist you may find that you have much more room for negotiation.

having said that, i'd still buy from Apple's refurb store despite tax + the extra cost, you'll be getting a 1 year warranty from Apple which may come in handy. And you get leopard & ilife 08, also worth something.
 
Sometimes you can find from Apple refurb, recently:
Refurbished Apple iMac 17" Core 2 Duo Desktop Mac for $699 shipped (+ tax)
but that's the one with integrated graphics.

Or get an intel Mac Mini, as low as around $500.
 
Archmagination said:
Thats twice now I have lost a 17" iMac with a 1.83ghz Intel Core Duo, 1gb RAM, DL Superdrive, 160gb HD, Radeon X1600 128mb computer on ebay within 5 minutes of close.

Its looking more and more like I will need to wait for my tax returns in 2 months before I can get a intel iMac... its going to be a long wait and the way things go around here I will most likely find that I need to use the money on something else. I have found out that I have been running into the wall lately with my faithful "Sawtooth" 1ghz G4(not a dual) with 1gb RAM, 80gb HD and a Radeon 9800 Pro card.

Sorry for the complaining, but its extremely frustrating to find myself within a $100 of owning a intel mac!
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have a display and keyboard - why not a new Mini? Plus, after Jan. 15, you may be able to get a deal on one if they are updated or discontinued (but you'd have to hurry to the store to get it if they are discontinued).
 
amik said:
Whoever told you it is cheaper to be married is a liar.
Click to expand...

Actually it is cheaper. Been doing the research since I may pop the question soon. Got her a diamond studded MacBook... :D

Just kidding.

Anyway keep looking and you will find some. They are finds, and I myself may be looking for two of them sometime soon. Don't go PowerPC no matter what though.
 
Archmagination said:
Sorry for the complaining, but its extremely frustrating to find myself within a $100 of owning a intel mac!
Click to expand...
Depending on where you live, you may want o check out your local paper or WantAdvertiser type publications. Also, like robby said, check craig's list. eBay can get REALLY crowded with deal hunters... so much so that people can sell things at retail and still make a profit (its kind of sick). Sometimes you want to scream, "Guys! Stop... stop! We're approaching retail price! Just let the other guy have it!" Oh well. Local sales can be much easier goings, especially if the person needs to make a quick sell-off.
Digital Skunk said:
Don't go PowerPC no matter what though.
Click to expand...
Ditto.

Good luck,
~ CB
 
Maybe you should change your expectations. I did and got myself an iMac instead of a Mac Pro. It does all I need.

There's a good chance that a Mac Mini would be fine for you (not for games though) teamed with a cheapish monitor.

Starting to wonder if a Mac Mini teamed with my Dell monitor wouldn't have suited me fine. :)
 
never bid on an ebay auction unless there is under a minute left. always snipe, anything else just drives the price up, as people like to stake their claim. its pointless. know your max, and bid it with 15 seconds left.
 
matttrick said:
never bid on an ebay auction unless there is under a minute left. always snipe, anything else just drives the price up, as people like to stake their claim. its pointless. know your max, and bid it with 15 seconds left.
Click to expand...

Well I sorta of disagree because it takes all the fun out of the auction process. What you are talking about is learned behavior. I remember the first 3 years Ebay's birth. It was alot more fun then. Bidding frenzy was in high gear. People would bid and then get outbid and then bid again. It was a fun time. You just never knew if you were going to get something until the final bell rang. Over time, behavior changed and people stopped bidding until the very last moment like you speak of. This artificially reduces the going price because alot of people miss out on the final bid. In the end, it is great for buyers, but bad for sellers. And if the sellers aren't happy and go elsewhere, then what's left?
 
baypharm said:
Well I sorta of disagree because it takes all the fun out of the auction process. What you are talking about is learned behavior. I remember the first 3 years Ebay's birth. It was alot more fun then. Bidding frenzy was in high gear. People would bid and then get outbid and then bid again. It was a fun time. You just never knew if you were going to get something until the final bell rang. Over time, behavior changed and people stopped bidding until the very last moment like you speak of. This artificially reduces the going price because alot of people miss out on the final bid. In the end, it is great for buyers, but bad for sellers. And if the sellers aren't happy and go elsewhere, then what's left?
Click to expand...

I don't think eBay sellers will ever go away.


To the OP, check out http://gainsaver.com they have an intel iMac for around $640
 
baypharm said:
Well I sorta of disagree because it takes all the fun out of the auction process. What you are talking about is learned behavior. I remember the first 3 years Ebay's birth. It was alot more fun then. Bidding frenzy was in high gear. People would bid and then get outbid and then bid again. It was a fun time. You just never knew if you were going to get something until the final bell rang. Over time, behavior changed and people stopped bidding until the very last moment like you speak of. This artificially reduces the going price because alot of people miss out on the final bid. In the end, it is great for buyers, but bad for sellers. And if the sellers aren't happy and go elsewhere, then what's left?
Click to expand...

Sellers have always had the option of setting a reserve price.

Most markets are controlled by buyers anyway. Sellers can only react.
 
There is one other option that might be available

Depending on where you live, there is a Yahoo group called "Freecycle". It's a group where people who are getting rid of stuff post and where people who are in need of stuff post. Depending on if there are postings where you live, you might have to drive some distance to get it but if you post a listing that says something like "needed - intel based iMac/mac mini/laptop" and you are not extremely picky about the speed, you might find something for free that you can use at least until you have saved the money for a new replacement. You would be surprised what people give away. In my experience, long time mac users are always trying to find new homes for their old hardware. Just a thought.
 
I have wanted to check out a Mac and OS X for years, but never had the extra cash to do so. Just this week as I was going thru my local Craiglist (something I do every day after checking mail) I seen an add for a guy who had 3 iMac Snows for $99 or best offer, and got one for $80. Besides him being only 20min away from me, the system came with Tiger 10.4.11, Works 6, the iLife suite, and the Mac keyboard & mouse. I had 2 chips here that put me up to 512mb ram, and have not stopped playing with it for 2 days!

Yea, it is a G3 600, but it has done everything I have wanted it to do, and at equal or faster speeds than the Celeron 2GHz with 1 gig of memory I have sitting beside it. The only draw back is Garage Band is pretty limited in track count, and being a musician - studio owner this is what I wanted to try out the most. But over all I feel it was a great deal, and would not have found it if I didn't keep looking and trying......there out there, it is just the 'ol "Right Place, Right Time" situation.

And after years of just being able to "play" with a Mac, I can now really sit down and work with it....and I am now seeing what all the fuss is about.

Good Luck! :cool:
 
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